Stiffening member for boots and shoes



Sept. 29, 1931. w. c. BENNETT STIFFENING MEMBER FOR BOOTS AND $110135Filed June 15 into the stiiiening composition,

@Nl'l'ED S'EATES rarrnr orrrca WALLACE O. BENNETT, OF HINGHAH,HASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO BENNETT BOX 60., OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A.CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS STIFFER'ING MEMBER FOR BOOTS AND SHOESApplication filed June 15,

This invention relates to a stifiening member for a boot or shoe, andparticularly to a box toe, counter and shank therefor.

The object of the, invention is, in general to provide a novel, durableand superior stiffening member for a boot or shoe which may beeconomically manufactured and incorporated into the boot or shoe with aminimum efiort and at minimum expense.

To this end, the improved stiflening member comprises a compositematerial made up of a supporting fabric, reierably of canvas, cloth,screening or ot er foraminous material; an absorbent mass ofloosely-matted fibres derived from wood, as by a pulping process; and adense, continuous body of dried and/or hardened saturant. The latter,which serves, and is hereinafter referred to, as the stifieningcomposition, may and preferably will include a material such as rubberlatex which is capable of imparting sufiicient flexibility to thecomposition when dried to prevent cracking of the finished stifl'ening,

member and to render the latter resiliently flexible when the boot orshoe is worn.

in practice, the stiiiening composition may and preferably will beapplied to both the wood pulp and the reenforcing fabric and thenpermitted to dry with such layers superposed one upon the other to forma composite sheet from which blanks of the requisite shape may be cut ordried out. in the use of such blanks, the operator at the lastingmachine may and preferably will dip the blanks and then incorporate themwhile in a fiexlble condition into the boots or shoes during the lastingoperation, in which the top or central portion of the box toe isrendered relatively resiliently flexible and the side walls thereofrelatively stifi and non-flexible.

These and other features of the invention will be hereinafter describedand particularly pointed out inthe claims at the end of thisspecification.

111 the drawings, Fig. l'represents a shoe in side elevation embodyingthe present stifiening member;

Fig. 2 is a cross-section portion of the shoe;

through the use 1923. Serial No. 645,520.

Fig. 5 is a plan with portions broken away of a counter blank embodyingthe present invention.

I Referring to the drawings, 10 represents a blank of fibrous materialpreferably composed of two layers 11, 12, one of wood pulp and the otherof cloth, canvas or the like,

and the wood pulp layer has incorporated with it a stifieningcomposition 13, preferably a fluid containing concentrated sodiumsilicate and rubber latex.

In producing the blank 10 of fibrous mate rial- 1 preferably form theblank 11 iroin'a' layer or sheet of loosely-matted wood pulp, and thecloth blank 12 from a sheet or canvas or other fabric. After the blanksll, 12 have thus been formed, both are preferably immersed in the fluidstifiening composition'to be saturated therewith, then withdrawn and thewood pulp blank 11 superimposed upon 7 the cloth blank 12 and the i'inidstifi'ening composition permitted to dry and form the composite blank10.

l'l'ie basic material which l. preferably en ploy in the stiffeningcomposition is a soluble silicate such as sodium silicate, and in orderto impart flexibility to the stifiening composition after thestifi'ening member has been incorporated into the shoe and dried, so asto prevent cracking thereof when the shoe is worn,lutilize a materialcapable of imparting flexibility to the silicate, and preferably rubberlatex in the fluid condition in which it may be purchased in the market;Excellent results have been obtained with a stifiening compositionconsisting of 75% by volume of concentrated sodium silicate solution,and 25% by volume of rubber latex.

lhe dried composite blanks 10 produced. as above stated may be softenedby immersion in some of the fluid stiffening material itself by theoperator at the lasting machine, and when the blanks have becomesufiiciently.

ilexible, they may be withdrawn from such solution, and immediatelyapplied to the last and the lasting operation performed in the usualmanner.

The loosely-matted wood pulpof which the blank 11 is composed, is notonly inexpensive, but also has remarkable aflinity for fluids and iscapable of absorbing a maximum amount of the stiffening material. Inthis manner maximum strength and body is imparted to the finishedstiffening member. The use of concentrated or heavy silicate adds to thewater resistant properties of the finished or dried stiffening member,and for this reason it is preferred to employ it instead of dilutesilicate solutions. For the reason that absorbent wood pulp was inventedby Willis A. Boughton and is disclosed in his applications Serial No.641,767, filed May 26, 1923, and Serial No. 283,946, filed June 8, 1928,I make no claim thereto, but rather to the novel combination of afibrous material supported by means of a fabric which, together withsaid fibrous material, is thoroughly impregnated with a saturant.

In the wiping operation of lasting the toe portion of the shoe some ofthe silicate is caused to flow from the center to the sides of the blankwith the result that the central or top portion of the box is renderedrelatively flexible, while the sides of the box are rendered relativelystiff and effectively serve to retain the shape of the box toe as theshoe is worn.

When the stiffening member comprises a counter, the blanks 11, 12 arecut into the shape illustrated in Fig. 5, and the composite blank 10formed as above stated is incorporated into the shoe in theusual manner.

It will be observed that in'the preferred form of the invention all ofthe ingredients of the stiffening material are of a colorless or milkywhite nature, a feature which particularly enables the stiffening memberto be employed in connection with white canvas or fabric shoes withoutliability of soiling the latter. The present stiffening member may bemade relatively light in weight, thus rendering its use particularlyadvantageous in connection with ladies shoes. The wood pulp layer isespecially adapted for use in a box toe or like stiffener for boots andshoes, as it is of light weight and inexpensive, and while it ispreferred to incorporate this with the stiffening material abovedescribed, it is not desired to limit the invention in this respect, asgood results may be obtained when the wood pulp has incorporated with itother stiffening materials, such as tar, asphalt, gums and the like.

Claims:

1. A stiffening member for a boot or shoe comprisin a wood pulp layer, afabric layer and a sti ening composition comprising a soluble silicateand rubber later: applied to both layers and adhesively aifixing saidlayers together.

2. A member for incorporation in a boot or shoe comprising a layer ofwood pulp having applied thereto a composition of soluble silicate andlatex.

3. A composite material adapted for use as a stiffener comprising asupporting fabric, a mass of fibres derived from wood associated in alooselyanatted form with said supporting fabric, and, distributedthroughout the interstices of said supporting fabric and said mass offibres, a continuous body of hardened saturant.

4. A composite material adapted for use as a stiffener comprising aforaminous supporting fabric, a mass of loosely-matted pulped woodfibres supported by said foraminous fabric, and, distributed throughoutthe interstices of said foraminous fabric and said mass ofloosely-mattedpulped wood fibres, the residue of a dried saturant.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

WALLACE C. BENNETT.

